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Your first source for Indiana County area news every day! <br>en-ushttps://www.indianagazette.com/news/indiana-news/panelists-selma-remains-relevant-in-todays-society,21774381/Panelists: Selma remains relevant in today's societyhttps://www.indianagazette.com/news/indiana-news/panelists-selma-remains-relevant-in-todays-society,21774381/
Selma, Ala., was in the public eye in March 1965, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his supporters took a stand for voting rights. Fifty years later, it still is.Tue, 31 Mar 2015 10:59:00 -0400

Selma, Ala., was in the public eye in March 1965, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his supporters took a stand for voting rights.

Fifty years later, it still is.

The dialogue on civil rights and voting issues continued Monday night after the Indiana community had a chance for a free screening of the movie “Selma,” a historical drama released in January. After two hours of watching King and his supporters shed blood for a right that was already afforded them by law but denied them by practice, a panel talked about the relevancy of a movie like “Selma” and what challenges and injustices remain today.

“Is this just a movie?” Dr. Carolyn Princes asked the panel of 14 in the Toretti Auditorium at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex. Princes is a professor of pan-African studies and associate dean at the African American Cultural Center at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Shirley Johnson, an assistant professor at IUP, said it is important to connect to the past to understand the present. She said that watching a movie like “Selma” forces the question, “where does this take us now?”

“One of the things that I believe is imperative is that all children know about the past,” Johnson said. “Not only just to understand that incident that took place, but to have a sense of what it is to be able to be respectful of humankind and social injustice and how that can be dealt with.”

She said that if people didn’t learn about the events at Selma in their home while they were growing up, then they probably would not have learned about it at school.

Johnson works in the education department at IUP and is a coordinator of the Professional Development School Urban Track program in the Pittsburgh public school system.

Joseph Twumasi-Ankrah, a sociology doctorate student at IUP and licensed social worker, said the film can make a difference if viewers approach it with an open mind and really understand the content of the movie. He admitted there was a lot the filmmakers couldn’t show.

He said that as a young black male he is able to get an education because of people like those who marched from Selma to Montgomery, Ala.

The conversation then shifted to the issue of voting, punctuated by the fact that less than half of Americans voted in the 2014 elections and only 57.5 percent voted in 2012, a presidential election year.

Chris Moore, from WQED in Pittsburgh, said one of the most important scenes for him was when Annie Lee Cooper (Oprah Winfrey) tried to register to vote in one of the very first scenes of the movie.

Here, Winfrey’s character showed the audience what it was like to attempt to register to vote, only to be given an impossible series of questions. There is then nowhere for her to turn to vent her injustices, no resources to bring about a lawsuit and the feeling that no judge will give her a fair interpretation of the law. She just walks quietly from the Selma courthouse.

Moore said students at Harvard were recently given the same questions that were in the 1964 literacy test, and not a single Ivy League student was able to pass the test.

He said there are different barriers being put up now — voter ID laws are just the latest trend to suppress votes.

And as for those who can vote but don’t: “You’re insane if you give up your right to vote given the demonstration that you’ve seen in this movie.”

Tieshay Skinner, an IUP undergrad, said that on the subject of voting and politics, there is an intellectual battle going on. She said if you want to be in a battle for civil justice, like King and his supporters throughout the South, then you have to be educated.

Gerald Smith teaches math at Indiana Area High School and sits on Indiana Borough council. He said voting was just one part of activism, the real prize being a larger picture of civil rights equality.

The film does depict several scenes of strategy between King and his supporters. They knew they needed to get the attention of the press and get people from across the nation to come to Selma, or at least to pay attention to the events there. They also knew they could likely provoke County Sheriff Jim Clark into doing something foolish, which turned out to be true. He was one of the officials responsible for the violent (yet unsuccessful) bridling of the marches.

King’s team was a group of experienced activists who were playing a dangerous game that could end in assassination at any time. They knew how politicians and judges would react to certain actions and were able to push the line of nonviolence as far as it could go.

Dr. Kay Snyder, professor emeritus of sociology at IUP, said she met King in Selma during the marches. Snyder, who is white, was a young woman at the time and said she would never forget meeting King, and she said the Selma voting rights campaign changed her life.

Snyder said it was important to remember that the events depicted in the movie were just one slice of King’s efforts. She said the civil rights movement at the time needed to be brought north, where civil injustice was more subtle.

Patricia Holmes, vice president of the American Association of University Women in Indiana and an active member of the Indiana NAACP, agreed that discrimination in the North was more cloak-and-dagger. But she said that young people in the North were very aware of the problems. She stressed the importance of getting young people to vote, or face a slide backward on issues of civil injustice.

Beverly Goodwin is a professor of psychology at IUP and a fifth-generation educator. She said she feels like young people are becoming more passive. Echoing Tieshay Skinner’s comments about the importance of education, she said that going to college should not just be about collecting a degree. Instead, she thinks students should approach college as a means to get a well-rounded education.

The movie indeed depicted members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. The SNCC, pronounced “snick,” was very involved in the issue of voters’ rights in the 1950s and 1960s. They braved police harassment, Klansmen, terrorism and many other forms of violence to have their voices heard, according to the SNCC Legacy Project, an educational program designed to preserve the group’s traditions.

During the open Q&A session, one IUP student, who identified herself as Tiffany, said she had not experienced racism before coming to Indiana.

“I had people in my classes that didn’t want to work with me because I was African-American. I had a professor that I struggled with because I was African-American.”

A white male in the audience, who did not give his name, asked what someone born into privilege could do for civil rights, even if they don’t experience injustices.

“Selma” depicted how whites flocked to Alabama after seeing the news reports of the first march from Selma to Montgomery, when a small group of marchers were met with police brutality on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. These people later marched arm in arm with the black marchers, risking injury and death under the label of race traitor.

Smith said it is important that everyone speaks their values at all times, regardless of what company they are in.

“Walk the walk. Don’t be afraid to have confidence. You are on the right side of love and justice.”

Skinner said it is important for people to go outside of their comfort zone and cling to people who have drive and have heart, “no matter what their skin color is.”

PHOTO: Among the panelists Monday were, from left, Gerald Smith, co-chairman of the Indiana Center for Community Growth; Patricia Holmes, Indiana County NAACP; and Dr. Beverly Good, professor of psychology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. (Teri Enciso/Gazette)

Sherry Renosky, mall manager, confirmed Monday that the sports bar, near the entrance to Kmart, is no longer open but declined further comment.

Renosky said she did not know how many employees were working there.

Christopher Zamias, a leasing agent with Zamias Services Inc., which owns the mall, said a deal is “in the works” with another client to occupy the 12,600-square-foot space, but he would not provide a time frame.

Neither Renosky nor Zamias would say what was behind the restaurant’s closure.

Messages left for the manager of the local Dingbats, Rick Jones, were not returned by press time.

Signage for the restaurant had already been removed by Monday.

The 32-year-old western Pennsylvania restaurant chain opened the location in the Indiana Mall in 2008.

The chain's creators at first couldn't agree on a catchy name for the restaurants.

Then, someone spotted the word “dingbat” in the Morris Dictionary of Words and Phrase Origins. The century-old term was a synonym for thing-a-ma-jig, doo-hickey — "anything you can't think of a name for."

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Mall searches for new tenanthttps://www.indianagazette.com/news/indiana-news/man-tried-to-rob-store-police-say,21774536/Man tried to rob store, police sayhttps://www.indianagazette.com/news/indiana-news/man-tried-to-rob-store-police-say,21774536/
SHELOCTA — A man wearing a ski mask and sunglasses made his getaway on a red dirt bike this morning after he tried to rob the BP Fuel Lane convenience store along Route 422, east of Shelocta in Armstrong Township, state police reported.Tue, 31 Mar 2015 10:54:00 -0400

SHELOCTA — A man wearing a ski mask and sunglasses made his getaway on a red dirt bike this morning after he tried to rob the BP Fuel Lane convenience store along Route 422, east of Shelocta in Armstrong Township, state police reported.

Workers said the man drove up from a nearby field, stood outside the store for about two minutes, then entered and demanded cash from the clerks at 6:57 a.m., according to troopers at Indiana.

The workers denied his demands, and told investigators that he didn’t display or threaten to use a weapon.

The would-be robber fled on the dirt bike through a field adjacent to the convenience store.

Police said the man was white, 6 feet to 6-feet-2, and between 190 and 230 pounds.

He wore a black sweatshirt embroidered with “Adidas” and the logo, a red shirt, faded light blue jeans, light colored shoes or boots and white gloves.

Troopers asked anyone with information about the holdup attempt to phone the station at (724) 357-1960.

“The best way to avoid the risk of prescription drug abuse, especially for children and teenagers, is to safely dispose of medications when they are unused or expired,” D.A. Patrick Dougherty said. “These PA MedReturn drop boxes offer the public a safe, accessible and convenient alternative to keeping prescription drugs that aren’t being used in the home, where they can get in the wrong hands or be disposed of in landfills or down the drain, where they can end up in the water supply."

Rolling stops are scheduled for Route 119, north of the Philadelphia Street/State Route 286 interchange, to remove the old beams from the bridge carrying Airport Road over Route 119 in White Township, according to PennDOT.

The 15-minute stoppages are planned for Wednesday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Motorists are asked to seek alternative routes to eliminate delays, as well as to drive slowly and responsibly in work zones for their safety and the safety of the workers.

The Indiana Gazette has won four awards in the 2015 America East digital media contest.

The newspaper won first place in the Best Revenue Generation Initiative and Best Interaction with Readers categories, second place for Best Overall Use of Social Media and third place for Best Overall Digital Experience.

The criteria for Best Overall Digital Experience includes original content; use of multimedia, video and photography; overall mobile experience; overall design; overall structure and community participation.

Judging for Best Interaction with Readers includes user-submitted multimedia, contests, news comments, forums/polls, community calendar and community/ staff interaction.

Content on the Gazette’s social media network reaches thousands of people every day.

For example, the most-read story of 2014 story was about a large black bear that was hit by a car and killed on Route 422. It reached more than 414,000 people, garnered 8,000 likes and was shared more than 3,000 times.

Contests run through the newspaper’s website — such as the pet costume contest and holiday lightup contest — garnered thousands of votes.

Criteria for Best Overall Use of Social Media includes Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest integration; and simplicity of sharing content from the web to social media platforms.

Judging for Best Revenue Generation Initiative includes integration through social media; creativity and overall outcome.

“These awards are validation of the strides the Gazette continues to make in online news presentation and social media engagement,” said Eric Ebeling, executive editor.

“The entire staff shares in these awards, and I have to particularly single out the efforts of Ellen Matis, digital media coordinator, and Chauncey Ross, web editor.”

The contest is designed to recognize best-in-class digital platforms. The Gazette entered in a division that includes websites with between 50,001 and 250,000 average monthly unique visitors.

Award winners were notified during the annual America East Media business and technology conference Monday in Hershey. The three-day convention concludes Wednesday.

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Legion holds birthday celebrationhttps://www.indianagazette.com/news/indiana-news/blood-drives-planned-in-region,21769693/Blood drives planned in regionhttps://www.indianagazette.com/news/indiana-news/blood-drives-planned-in-region,21769693/
The American Red Cross encourages eligible donors to give blood during National Volunteer Month this April and make a difference in the lives of patients in need at the following dates and locations:Tue, 31 Mar 2015 10:49:00 -0400

The American Red Cross encourages eligible donors to give blood during National Volunteer Month this April and make a difference in the lives of patients in need at the following dates and locations:

• Four Footed Friends is looking for a volunteer receptionist. (724) 349-1144

• Indiana County Community Action Program (ICCAP) needs volunteers to answer the phones, type and do filing. (724) 465-2657 or (724) 248-9555

• Indiana County Humane Society can use assistance with filing, mailing and answering the phone. (724) 465-7387/3977

DISASTER ASSISTANCE

The American Red Cross is looking for volunteers for the Disaster Action Team Health and for safety instructors. (724) 465-5678

EDUCATION

• ARIN has a need for tutors to work with adults to improve basic math and reading skills in preparation for the GED. Also, tutors are needed for the English as a Second Language Program. (724) 463-5300, ext. 2329

• Historical & Genealogical Society of Indiana County is looking for a library volunteer. Contact Roberta Ryan at (724) 463-9600.

MEDICAL/SOCIAL WORK/CHILD CARE

• accessAbilities Inc. is looking for volunteers who can provide companionship for their consumers by making crafts, playing cards or board games, reading or doing small home repairs. (724) 465-6042

• Aging Services Inc. is looking for volunteers who can help with group activities such as crafts, reading, music and card games; and provide friendly one-on-one visits. Contact Jim McQuown at (724) 349-4500.

• Alice Paul House is seeking volunteers to provide crisis intervention and counseling to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, juvenile offenders, and other crime. By completing a training course in paraprofessional crisis intervention counseling, volunteers will be able to assist and empower individuals in crisis first hand by answering the crisis hotline and interacting with shelter residents and clients. For more information, contact Whitney Mottorn at (724) 349-5744.

• Aging Services Inc. is looking for ombudsman volunteers. If you have two hours of free time a month to help ensure the quality of life and care of long-term care residents, they need you. Call (724) 349-4500 for more information.

• Indiana County Community Action Program needs mentors and child care providers at its shelters. (724) 465-2657 or (724) 248-9555

• The St. Vincent de Paul Society needs volunteers for their “Adopt an Elder” program, who will share at least 30 minutes of their time per month to visit an elderly person in a local nursing home or personal care home. Ongoing commitment is needed.

For more information, contact Chuck Spadafora at (724) 801-6029.

• Big Hearts Little Hands Mentoring Program, a program of the YMCA of Indiana County, is in need of positive, caring adults to provide guidance, care and emotional support to one of Indiana County’s youth in need. Those interested must be 18 years of age or older to be a Big. For more information, call (724) 463-9622

VNA

• VNA Family Hospice needs volunteers to assist with grief support and companionship for patients and their families, respite relief, running errands for families and other activities. Contact Mary Edith Cicola at (724) 463-8711.

• CareNet, a service of the Visiting Nurse Association, is looking for volunteers to provide friendly visits, transportation or shopping assistance to the elderly and disabled in the community. Those interested may contact Lisa Davis, volunteer coordinator, at (724) 463-6340.

• Hopeful Hearts, a service of VNA family hospice, needs peer support group facilitators, family greeters and food servers. Contact Diane Giever at (724) 349-3888.

OUTDOORS

• Historical & Genealogical Society of Indiana County is looking for building and grounds volunteers to help with upkeep and janitorial tasks. Contact Roberta Ryan at (724) 463-9600.

• Evergreen Conservancy is looking for volunteer board members and environmental educators to teach children at the Tanoma AMD Wetlands outdoor classroom and other locations; and water monitors to install water probes in streams, download data from data loggers, help with maintenance of data loggers and obtain water samples for testing. For more information, call (724) 471-6020 or (724) 463-8138.

WEB/TECH

• Historical & Genealogical Society of Indiana County could use an experienced IT volunteer. For details, contact Roberta Ryan at (724) 463-9600.

OTHER

• Indiana County Community Action Program (ICCAP) can use your assistance in the food warehouse. For details, call (724) 465-2657 or (724) 248-9555.

• The Indiana County Humane Society is looking for volunteers to assist with grant writing and publicity. For more information, call (724) 465-7387.

• Evergreen Conservancy is looking for volunteer board members who will attend board meetings the first Thursday of every other month and committee meetings (the opposite month), and work with accounts to track day to day expenditures and revenues, chair the finance committee, etc. (724) 471-6020 or (724) 463-8138.

• The St. Vincent de Paul Society is looking for volunteers to work in its Thrift Store, helping to organize and display donated items, customer services and cashier duties. Must be able to work a minimum of three hours per week, can be flexible. For more information, contact Nick Kolb at (724) 465-2440.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• accessAbilities is in need of volunteers to assist with 5K Run/Walk and a murder mystery dinner. For more information, call (724) 465-6042.

• The American Red Cross needs volunteers at blood drives to serve as walkers, greeters or canteen workers. For more information call (724) 465-5678.

SENIOR CORPS is a national volunteer organization. It provides volunteers age 55 and over with volunteer opportunities in nonprofit agencies. Benefits include free accident, personal liability and access automobile insurance while volunteering. Contact Janeen Love at (800) 648-3381, ext. 236, or at jlove@jccap.org for more information.

BLAIRSVILLE — WyoTech in Blairsville is sponsoring an American Red Cross blood drive for its students on Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

WyoTech has been a valued Red Cross community partner in the Blairsville area sponsoring student blood drives for many years. From its humble beginnings in 2006 collecting just 60 pints of blood, WyoTech has substantially grown their community support by sponsoring at least four blood drives each year collecting, on average, almost 900 pints of blood annually.

“WyoTech’s passion and commitment to supporting the Red Cross blood program has made a positive difference in the lives of many hospital patients in this region. They are truly extraordinary partners who are committed to serving the needs of the community.”

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WyoTech to hold blood drivehttps://www.indianagazette.com/news/indiana-news/cash-bash-dance-set,21672325/Cash Bash, dance sethttps://www.indianagazette.com/news/indiana-news/cash-bash-dance-set,21672325/
The Indiana Cash Bash & Dance will be held April 18 at the Fraternal Order of the Eagles on 420 Philadelphia St. in Indiana to help grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.Tue, 31 Mar 2015 10:44:00 -0400

The Indiana Cash Bash & Dance will be held April 18 at the Fraternal Order of the Eagles on 420 Philadelphia St. in Indiana to help grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.

This event, held in memory of Wish kid Michael Norris, will benefit Make-A-Wish Greater Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

The cash bash drawings take place from 4 to 7 p.m.; the basket raffle lasts from 4 to 10 p.m.; and the dance begins at 8 p.m. Tickets for the cash bash and dance cost $20 and tickets for the dance only (arrive 8 p.m. or later) cost $10. Only 500 tickets will be sold. All patrons must be at least 21 years old to attend this event. Throughout the evening, there will also be musical performances by the bands American Stew and Against the Grain as well as cash prizes up to $1,000.

For tickets or more information, please contact Christi at (724) 840-6749. Tickets can also be purchased at the Eagles club.

The Dingbats Restaurant in the Indiana Mall closed permanently on Sunday.

Sherry Renosky, the mall manager, confirmed today that the sports bar is no longer open but declined further comment.

Renosky said she did not know how many employees were working there.

Christopher Zamias, a leasing agent with Zamias Services Inc., which owns the mall, said a deal is “in the works” with another client to occupy the 12,600-square-foot space, but he would not provide a time frame.

Neither Renosky nor Zamias would say what was behind the restaurant’s closure.

The 32-year-old western Pennsylvania restaurant chain opened the location in the Indiana Mall in 2008.

Catholic Daughters Ct. St. Bernard 339 Indiana held its annual Communion breakfast on March 15 at the Rustic Lodge, White Township. Father Tom Federline celebrated the Mass at 9:30 a.m. at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Roman Catholic Church, White Township.

Catholic Daughters marched in a group and were greeters, lectors, extraordinary ministries cantors and gift bearers. Father Federline gave the invocation and a breakfast was served. Tables were adorned in an Irish theme with green baskets of boxwood. Chairwoman Trish Dalecki spoke on her trip to Ireland.

Regent Josephine Valenti welcomed all who took the time to be with the group. She brought Easter wishes from the national board and the state regent. She also gave a prayer called BLESS for the Lenten season. Valenti introduced the guests attending: Federline, Father Don Conroy, National Director Letty Calvetti, District Deputy Mary Ann Galonski and speaker Denise Pencola, province director DCCW.

Calvetti also brought good wishes from the national board and wished everyone a blessed Easter. Conroy thanked the court for inviting him and thanked the members for all that they do. Galonski thanked the court for inviting her and wished all a healthy and blessed Easter.

Dalecki introduced the speaker. She spoke on the annunciation and the Eucharist. The presentation allowed members to have a deeper reverence and appreciation of the Eucharist. Federline gave a few remarks about the certification of the Catholic Daughters. Valenti held a short meeting. The education chairman stated the awards will be given from 6 to 7 p.m. April 9 at the St. Bernard social hall. Refreshments will be served. Chairman Mary Jane Hodak invites everyone to attend.

The Grandmothers Corps soup sale was a success. The club thanks those who bought, sold and worked. Catholic Daughter Gloria Kanick, chairwoman of the St. Joseph’s Day event, did an outstanding job on her beautiful breads. All the children received a bird’s nest made by Dorothy Jablunovsky. Breads were distributed to the ticket winners.

The Greensburg diocesan luncheon will be held April 18 at Bishop Connare Center. Anyone interested can call the regent at (724) 465-2534. Rosary will be recited by the Catholic Daughters after the Holy Thursday Mass this Thursday. All are welcome. Dalecki had an Irish trivia game in the program. Those with high scores were winners of the Irish centerpieces. The 2014 dues are past due and should be in by the April audit. Co-chairwoman Barbara Turnbull gave the closing prayer. The next meeting will be the education awards from 6 to 7 p.m. April 9 with the meeting to follow.